Monday, January 26, 2009

Response to AP report on Media Practitioners Act, 2008

source: Republic of Botswana (25/1/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 1 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"



C3) 17/1/09: Response to AP report on Media Practitioners Act, 2008

The Government of Botswana notes with disappointment a report published (15/1/09) by the Associated Press (AP) on the recently enacted Media Practitioners Act, which contains a number of false and misleading statements that could have been avoided had the said news organisation sought our comment.

In its opening, the AP report states that: “The Media Practitioners Act was passed last year, but lawmakers had asked for amendments and it had been expected to go to parliamentary committees for fine-tuning this year. Instead the government published it in the official gazette over the holidays, making it law.”

The Media Practitioners Bill was, in fact, adopted by a final vote of Parliament on the 11th December 2008 after it had passed through Committee Stage. In accordance with the Constitution any Bill can only become an Act (law) after it has been so passed by the legislature.

At Committee stage the Bill was, moreover, revised as a result of the adoption by lawmakers of a number of substantive amendments, which had been proposed by the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology.

At the time, no other amendments were brought forward for Parliament’s consideration, notwithstanding the fact that it is the prerogative of Members of Parliament to propose such amendments, as well as alteration and/or rejection of the content of any amendments proposed by their peers.

In the above context, we further note that the Bill’s institutional critics failed to bring forward any proposals for amendment of their own, despite having been encouraged to do so over a period of several months by both the Minister and individual Members of Parliament.

Indeed, the Minister, for her part had, in July of 2008, gone so far as to move that Parliament suspend its then ongoing consideration of the Bill, so as to allow for further consultations on its content.

The Minister’s subsequent public invitation to the Bill’s critics to enter into a dialogue with Government on possible revisions to the Bill was spurned.

The AP report also falsely states that: “The new law requires journalists to get the consent of the government media council to work.”

In the Act the Media Council is clearly defined as “a body corporate with perpetual succession, capable of suing and being sued” which “shall operate without any political or other bias or interference, and shall be wholly independent and separate from government, any political party or any other body.”

The Council’s first objective, as stated in the Act, is “to preserve media freedom”.

While the Act does provide for the registration and accreditation of media practitioners by the Council’s governing body, an Executive Committee elected by its membership, there is nothing in the Act that forces individuals to register with the Council. In this respect, language that may have implied such compulsion was removed from the Bill by Parliament at Committee Stage.

The AP report further states that: “The council also will have the power to impose fines and even prison terms on journalists it determines have violated standards.”

There is, in fact, nothing in the Act empowering the Council to impose prison terms on journalists. Any fines which the Council might impose on its members, through its disciplinary committees, would be the prerogative of the Council itself.

Finally, we note with dismay that the AP report falsely states that: “Government officials could not be reached for comment.”

The above is a blatant distortion on the part of the AP correspondent, who came to the Headquarters of the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology demanding an immediate audience with the Permanent Secretary about what he described as the “rubbish” Act.

At the Ministry, the same correspondent was informed that the Permanent Secretary was on leave and that he should instead meet with the Coordinator for Government Communications and Information at the Office of the President, who was available for comment. This suggestion was rejected by the AP correspondent.

C4) 19/1/09: To Associated Press Correspondent - Re: Your questions received today, on the subject of the Media Practitioner's Act

This is to confirm receipt this morning of above communication containing six questions about the Media Practitioners Act.

Obviously we would have appreciated receiving these questions prior to your 15/1/09 publication of an article for AP on the same subject, which necessitated our having to make our own public response to said article.

Normally we would not copy our responses to questions received from you to others at this time, but given the above circumstance we have included select domestic media in the loop on this occasion.
In this context please find below our answers to your questions.

1. How was the public expected to ‘enter into dialogue with government,’ on the Media Practitioner’s Act?

Answer:

The Media Practitioners Act was the product of extensive consultations between Government, Media Stakeholders and members of the public beginning in 1997 when Government withdrew its initial draft bill for proposed mass media legislation.

In 1998 Government further agreed, at the request of MISA-Botswana and other media stakeholders, to the establishment of the Media Advisory Council as a stakeholder forum reporting to the High Level Consultative Council.

The need for a recognised Media Council has been an agenda item with the Media Advisory Council ever since.

In March 2003 stakeholders at the Media Advisory Council, including MISA-Botswana, agreed in principle to use the Deed of Trust of Press Council of Botswana as a basis for discussions on a Media Bill that would provide for a legislated Press or Media Council to uphold media ethics.

Initially the Media Advisory Council accepted, without dissent, the then Minister of Communications, Science and Technology's suggestion that that the private sector propose a draft for giving the Press Council of Botswana some sort of legislated recognition and authority.

Following a consultative workshop organised by MISA, with the participation of Government and other stakeholders, in August 2003 a joint Government – Private sector Task Force was established to draft a Media Bill still focusing on enhancing the role and authority of the Press Council.

The Task Force, as well as the Minister, thereafter carried out extensive public consultations.

By the end of 2007 the Task Force had achieved consensus on most, though admittedly not all, aspects of the Bill.

On the basis of the Task Force’s discussions proposals for a Bill were brought before Cabinet for their consideration, ultimately resulting in the draft Media Bill which was taken to Parliament last year.

In the context of criticism of the Bill from some quarters of the private media, in July 2008 the Minister of Communication, Science and Technology deferred Parliament’s then ongoing consideration of the Bill, so as to allow for further consultations on its content.

The Minister’s subsequent public invitation to the Bill’s critics to enter into a dialogue with Government on possible revisions to the Bill was unfortunately spurned, though the Minister still did meet with a delegation of media stakeholders after they requested an audience, and received submissions from other members of the public. Such further consultations as did take place are partially reflected in the amendments which the Minister introduced when the Bill was a Committee stage in the last session of Parliament.

At the time, no other amendments were brought forward for Parliament’s consideration, notwithstanding the fact that it is the prerogative of Members of Parliament to propose such amendments, as well as alteration and/or rejection of the content of any amendments proposed by their peers.

The Minister’s amendments were adopted in full, which paved the way for the passage of the Media Practitioners Bill by Parliament on 11th December 2008.

2. Was a forum established for this purpose and how did it work?

Answer:

Yes – as outlined above.

3. You say that the media council is not run by government but appointments to the appeals and complaints committee are made by the Minister. Does this not affect the independence of the Media Council from Government especially because the Chief Executive Officer of the Media Council will also be remunerated by the Minister and moreover it is the Minister who has the power to dissolve the Media Council, if she believes that this is in the public interest?

Answer:

The autonomy of the Council is, among other things, manifest in the language of the Act.

In the Act, the Media Council is clearly defined as “a body corporate with perpetual succession, capable of suing and being sued” which “shall operate without any political or other bias or interference, and shall be wholly independent and separate from government, any political party or any other body.”

The Act further mandates that the Governing body of the Council shall be the Executive Committee, whose Chairperson and other members are elected by its membership.

The Act further empowers the Executive Committee to appoint a full time Chief Executive, who will remain under their own supervision and direction. In this respect, the Act also clearly states that the Chief Executive shall be subject to the direction of the Chairperson and shall be responsible for the management and administration of the Council and that the officers and employees of the Council; shall hold office upon the terms and conditions determined by the Executive Committee.

The Act also states that any allowances payable to the Executive Committee shall be paid from funds generated by the Council.
With respect to the overall funding of the Council section 32(1) of the Act provides that the funds of the Council shall consist of: -

(a) members’ voluntary contributions, bequests, and subscription fees;
(b) fees and other monies paid for services rendered by the Council;
(c) monies from the rental or sale of any property of the Council; and
(d) grants, gifts or donations from lawful organizations or sources.

The Council is further empowered to keep bank accounts in such banks and in such a manner as it may determine and to disburse the funds of the Council for such things as

(a) the salaries and expenses of the staff of the Council;
(b) such reasonable travelling and subsistence allowances for members of the Council or members of any committee of the Council when engaged in the business of the Council; and
(c) any other expenses incurred by the Council in the discharge of its functions.

The Minister may only direct that the Executive Council be dissolved and a new Executive Council be elected by the membership in the specific circumstance when the Executive Council fails to submit its annual financial report.

Clear guidelines, furthermore, exist within the Act governing the Ministers appointment of the Complaints and Appeals Committees to ensure that they remain independent of political influence.

4. At 6(1) of the Media Practitioner’s Act it stresses that ‘a resident media practitioner shall be registered and accredited by an executive committee. ‘Why are suggesting therefore that registration process will be voluntary?

Answer

The section gives the Council, not Government, the responsibility of registering media practitioners. There is no penalty clause in this section. Neither is their any suggestion that one needs to be accredited with the Council to make a contribution to the newspaper. If an individual does not wish to be accredited that is his or her prerogative.

Given that such professional accreditation is common practice around the world, and indeed called for in various international instruments, e.g. the SADC Protocol for Information, Culture and Sport, unaccredited individuals, however, do run the risk of being seen as non-professionals in the eyes of international as well as domestic stakeholders now that the Council is being established partially for said purpose.

5. Section 7(5) stipulates that a person who contravenes the provisions of this section commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding three years, or to both.” What is your interpretation of this section of the Act?

Answer:

The section clearly refers to the responsibility of publishers of news and information to apply to the Executive Committee for membership of the Council. In this respect there is nothing in the Act empowering the Council to impose prison terms on journalists for carrying out there work as has been claimed elsewhere.

6. What is the express purpose of the Media Practitioner’s Act?

Answer:

The express purpose of the Media Practitioner’s Act is to establish a Media Council whose objectives are to:

(a) preserve media freedom;
(b) uphold standards of professional conduct and promote good ethical standards and discipline among media practitioners;
(c) Promote the observance of media ethics in accordance with a Code of Ethics;
(d) Promote public awareness of the rights and responsibilities of media practitioners, through such outreach programmes as may be established;
(e) Establish links with similar organisations within and outside of Botswana;
(f) Monitor the activities of media practitioners;
(g) Receive complaints directed at Media Practitioners;
(h) Bring together media practitioners and other media stakeholders in Botswana, with the view to exchanging information, sharing ideas and dealing with any challenges facing the development of the media industry;
(i) Register and accredit media practitioners;
(j) Issue accredited media practitioners with identity cards;
(k) Maintain a media register;
(l) Seek financial and other assistance for the operations of the Council;
(m) Sponsor training in media work and advise on matters pertaining to the education and training of media practitioners; and
(n) Undertake such research into the performance of the press as may be consistent with the furtherance of the Council’s objectives

We further take this opportunity to reiterate that Media Practitioners Bill was finally adopted by a vote of Parliament on the 11th December 2008 after it had passed through Committee Stage. In accordance with the Constitution any Bill can only become an Act (law) after it has been so passed by the legislature.

At Committee stage the Bill was, moreover, revised as a result of the adoption by lawmakers of a number of substantive amendments, which had been proposed by the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology.

In the above context, we further note that the Bill’s institutional critics failed to bring forward any proposals for amendment of their own, despite having been encouraged to do so over a period of several months by both the Minister and individual Members of Parliament.

C5) 24/1/09: Response to second AP report on Media Practitioners Act, 2008:

For the second time in as many weeks the Government of Botswana finds it necessary to correct a few errors contained in a report published (23/1/09) by the Associated Press (AP) on the recently enacted Media Practitioners Act.

The latest AP report, which follows our response to an earlier misleading report, at least acknowledges our position that reporters have nothing to fear from the Act establishing a Media Council, which according to Sections 4-5 of the Act, “shall operate without any political or other bias or interference, and shall be wholly independent and separate from government, any political party or any other body”, and whose primary objective will be “to preserve media freedom.”

The article, however, falsely reports that the Council’s chief executive is to be appointed by the “minister of communications” despite the fact that we had drawn the AP correspondent’s attention to Section 24 of the Act, which states that “the Executive Committee shall appoint a full time chief executive to the Council”.

This is consistent with Section 18 of the Act, which mandates that “the governing body of the Council shall be the Executive Committee”, whose Chairperson and other members “shall be elected at an ordinary general meeting or a special general meeting of the Council”.

As we pointed out to AP, Section 24 also states that “the chief executive shall be the administrative head of the Council and shall be under the general supervision and direction of the Council…subject to the directions of the Chairperson and shall be responsible for the management and administration of the Council.”

Section 25 of the Act further provides that that all officers and employees of the Council shall hold office upon the terms and conditions determined by the Council’s Executive Committee.

We further note with dismay that the latest AP report once more misleadingly states that: ‘lawmakers had asked for amendments and it had been expected to go to parliamentary committees for fine-tuning this year. Instead the government published it in the official gazette over the holidays, making it law.”

As we have informed the AP correspondent, the Media Practitioners Bill was only adopted by a final vote of Parliament on the 11th December 2008 after it had passed through Committee Stage. In accordance with the Constitution any Bill only becomes an Act (law) after it has been so passed by the legislature. Its gazetting, thereafter, is usually a formality.

At Committee stage the Bill was, moreover, revised as a result of the adoption by lawmakers of eighteen substantive amendments.

Finally, in light of further comments in the AP report, we wish to once more note that Section 6 of the Act gives the Council, not Government, the responsibility of accrediting resident media practitioners. As there is no penalty clause in this section it is left to individuals to decide whether they wish to be so accredited by the Council.

Remarks by C.M.Lekaukau,Director General, GICO, at the Contract Signing Ceremony of the National Programme Implementation Coordination Project GICC

source: Republic of Botswana (25/1/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 1 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


B4) 17/12/08: REMARKS BY CUTHBERT MOSHE LEKAUKAU, DIRECTOR GENERAL, GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATION OFFICE (GICO) AT THE CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY OF THE NATIONAL PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATION PROJECT GICC, GABORONE

Please find below this afternoon's remarks by the Director General GICO at today's signing ceremony of the National Programme Implementation Project. Please also find attached the project brief [previously forwarded, available on request]

Senior Public Officers
Managing Director of Accenture Botswana
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:

1. We are today witnessing the beginning of one of the landmarks in the quest to operationalise the Government Implementation Coordination Office (GICO) which was set up by the Presidency and started operating on 2 May 2007. Since that date, it has been a tall order because the office had to be set up from scratch including the selection and recruitment of professional and support staff.

2. GICO is not unique in the world. This is because, it is no longer just enough that governments are able to develop policies for their people; it is now imperative that such policies are implemented through programmes and projects to benefit the society. The ideal goal of any country is thus to spend 100% of its annual development budget. It is the mandate of the Government Implementation Coordination Office (GICO) to aid the nation to achieve this ideal. GICO aims to do this through driving and coordinating all Government policies, programmes, and projects.

3. The leverage to achieving such an ideal goal is the utilisation of an effective project monitoring and evaluation system that informs the coordination office about the status of any major project in the country at any given time. Such a system ought to take into account the context within which it is embedded for it to be effective and it can not thus just be purchased off the shelf. The challenge lies in the development and application of relevant and proven project management systems, processes, measures and structures to ensure sustainable project success.

4. We are here today to sign a contract with Accenture which will enable the realisation of such a project. The core project objectives are as follows: • Objective 1: to design the Framework for Implementation & Coordination of Policy-Related Programmes and Projects • Objective 2: to design a Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy and Model • Objective 3: to design and Implement a Programme Management Office • Objective 4: to design and Implement an Effective Project Management System • Objective 5: to train public officers on advanced project management and handholding on use of the system. The Consultants will also be expected to provide troubleshooting and maintenance support to Government.

5. These objectives are amply described in a project brief which will be distributed shortly. The following are the anticipated benefits of the project:

• Multiple reporting formats problem will be solved through development of a comprehensive reporting tool from which information will be extracted for different purposes.

• It will be easy to track projects and flag those that are running behind schedule.

• It will be easy to determine the root causes of projects that are running behind schedule and advice on the way forward.

• Ministry cross-cutting projects will be easy to coordinate owing to clarity of roles of the different players and timelines for delivery.

• Resource utilization will be optimized owing to the fact that overloading points and under-loading time zones will be easily identified and the problems resolved.

• Fast tracking of projects will be aided owing to the fact that the project plans will indicate areas for possible concurrent engineering to be undertaken and the impact of crashing the project can be simulated.

• Actual project expenditure and percentage of project completion can be known at any given time

The project will significantly aid the Government in its drive of attaining 100% development budget expenditure. The project will significantly contribute to the Government drive to fast tract development projects to the nation. It will save time and money in trying to develop multiple un-integrated systems in various Ministries

6. Ladies and gentlemen, I will now briefly highlight some of the other key achievements of GICO since its establishment:

• GICO has conducted workshops with all Ministries and Departments on project planning and developed a standard format for reporting on projects using Gantt Charts. The workshops were aimed at kick starting the process of empowering public servants with project management skills.

• Policy and Programmes Division’s primary mandate is to monitor implementation of strategies, policies and programmes. The Section advises Ministries on formulation of policies and also coordinates their review to ensure synergy and alignment to national goals.

• GICO serves as the technical advisor to Cabinet Committee on Economy and Employment, which is chaired by His Honour the Vice President.

• GICO acts as the interface between BOCCIM and the Private Sector with Government and serves as Secretariat to the HLCC. GICO intends to extend this service to other organs of the private sector not currently represented by BOCCIM.

• NDP 10 will have a Chapter on Monitoring and Evaluation which is being drafted by GICO. The draft Chapter was presented at the NDP 10 Stakeholders’ Conference in October, 2008. In addition, GICO is a member of the NDP10 reference group.

7. I am pleased to inform you that the Business Economic Advisory Council (BEAC) report titled “Botswana Excellence – Strategy for Economic Diversification and Sustainable Growth” has recently been approved by Cabinet and we will be rolling out its distribution to the public starting first quarter of 2009. Currently, the Strategy is being translated into Setswana. My goal is to ensure that all Batswana should have access to the Strategy. May we wish you a Merry Christmas! PULA!

Statement by the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology on the Second Reading in Parliament of MEDIA PRACTITIONERS` BILL

source: Republic of Botswana (25/1/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 1 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


B3) 10/12/08: Statement by the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology on the Second Reading in Parliament of Bill No 15 of 2008: MEDIA PRACTITIONERS' BILL

1. Honourable Speaker, I presented the Media Practitioner’s Bill during the last meeting of this House. The debate that followed, both in the House and in the public media, bore testimony to the democratic culture and processes that exist in this country, as well as the tradition of consultation. I withdrew the Bill in order to assure myself that absolutely no stone was left unturned to engage with Batswana, and especially the main stakeholders of this Bill, the media fraternity, to give their input into the Bill.

2. Several months have elapsed since I stood in this House and in that time we have all had an opportunity to reflect on the Bill and to devise ways in which it can be improved. During these few months of reflection, I have continued to receive constructive comments from colleagues in this House, as well as from individuals. Mr Speaker, it is with great regret, however that I stand before you to present this Bill for the second time, having not engaged as fully as I would have wished to with some of the key stakeholders in the media industry. I regret to inform this House that the media fraternity, represented by the Press Board and the Publishers Forum, declined to discuss the Bill. They demanded instead that I should withdraw it from the business that is before the House before they could discuss it with me and through various publications they rejected the Bill in its entirety.

3. Mr Speaker, I beg your indulgence to remind this House that the Bill that I am presenting to this house was the result of several years of consultation with stakeholders spanning no less than 10 years. The Media Advisory Committee adopted certain principles that would underpin this Media Practitioners Bill, these are:

• To produce a more overarching media bill that covers all media; • To produce an enabling bill consistent with international best practice and the treating Botswana has signed and ratified; • To give the Press Council legal recognition; • To promote self regulation;
• To promote access to official information;
• To guarantee editorial independence;
• To address the Minister’s role; and
• To address right of reply.

Members of the private media have representation on the Media Advisory Committee. In fact my vice chairperson is from the Press Council.

4. This Bill’s intention was, and remains, to establish a Media overseer which will monitor the activities of the media and ensure the maintenance of high professional standards. The overseer will provide for the registration and accreditation of resident media practitioners. It was on the request of the members of the current Press Council, which was established by a Deed of Trust that this Bill was crafted to give due recognition to the existence of the Press Council within the Law.

5. Mr Speaker, I have brought this Bill back to the House with the knowledge that I have exercised my duty to uphold the values that are enshrined in the Constitution of this country. I remain convinced that it is my duty to protect the rights of the media to freedom of expression as articulated in clause 12 of the Constitution.

6. I exercise that duty, Mr Speaker, in recognition of clause 3 of our Constitution which, requires us all to ensure that the freedoms enjoyed by one section of the population should not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others, and the public interest. In particular, Clause 12 secures protection of individual privacy.

7. This Bill is premised on the principle of self-regulation of the media. Editorial independence has been guaranteed to ensure free flow in the delivery of information by the media. The Code of Ethics adopted in this Bill as produced by the Press Council of Botswana. Honourable Members will recall that I presented it to an all party caucus before I adopted it for use in the government media. I did this because I am convinced that the document is a commendable product. Amongst the resolutions of Media Advisory Committee was one that demanded that all media houses produce their own editorial policies and make them known to the public. All of these steps are acceptable worldwide as a good basis for self regulation of a free media. It is purely on the basis of these unprecedented legal and administrative undertaking that I am convinced that government has fulfilled one part of its obligation to freedom of expression.

8. It is in my effort to manage the other part, which is the right of individuals to privacy that I have insisted on ensuring that the rights of those who might feel offended by any action of the media should also be guaranteed access to mediation structures that are not under the direct control of the media. The Bill introduces and protects the public by granting the Right to Reply. This, Honourable members can only help further improve on the professional conduct expected of media practitioners.

9. Mr. Speaker, in spite of the refusal of the appointed representatives of the media to meet with me and my staff in order to address their concerns regarding this draft law, our commitment to democracy motivated me nevertheless to examine their points of view and to take on board those that will enrich this legislation and which are consistent with the principles of the Constitution of this country.

10. Currently, Mr Speaker, the registration and accreditation of media practitioners is a function that is executed by a government department. Clause 6 proposes to hand this function over to the media. It is my belief that in a self-regulated environment, it makes sense that the media be responsible for the maintenance of the membership records since they are in a better position to determine acceptable qualifications from time to time. This function will be extended to include the accreditation of local journalists.

11. I also included the request of the stakeholders to make a provision to protect media practitioners from political influence. Clause 4 of this Bill provides for the independence of the Council from Government and from any political party.

12. Mr Speaker, I take this opportunity to highlight other salient parts of the Bill.

13. My original intent was to adopt the existing Press Council of Botswana in the operations of this Bill, but due to their unwillingness to be part of this document, I will have to move amendments at the committee stage to ensure that they are not included. It is still my wish that once the bill is in operation and the current apprehensions that surround it have been allayed, the Press Council will review their current stance.

Contents of the Bill

14. The main objectives of the Media Practitioner’s Bill at Clause 3 are to establish a media council which will monitor the activities of the media and ensure the maintenance of high professional standards, and to provide for the registration and accreditation of resident media practitioners.

15. Freedom of the Press and self-regulation are guaranteed at clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill.

16. At clauses 3 and 17, the Bill also provides for the establishment of the Complaints Committee and the Appeals Committee whose main functions are to adjudicate on complaints brought by members of the public about any particular publication. The Complaints and Appeals Committee are empowered to administer appropriate disciplinary measures and impose sanctions, where necessary, in order to promote an atmosphere of accountability, mutual trust and respect between media practitioners and the public.

17. The Bill also provides for the appointment of the Chief Executive and other staff of the Council at clause 24 who shall deal with the day to day management of the Council. Also specified in the Bill are provisions for meetings which are to be held by the Council, including the quorum and the procedure for convening such meetings.

18. At clauses 32 and 33, the Bill has also made provisions relating to the funds and financial year of the Council. It also deals with the Executive Committee’s regulation-making powers, as well as the Minister’s power to make regulations by statutory instrument.

19. I hasten to explain that I have chosen to present the Bill without attaching the consequential regulations, in order to permit flexibility in further consultations with all stakeholders.

20. Honourable Speaker, the Bill addresses all these issues, and goes further to recognise the Media Code of Ethics which would have been drawn by the media itself. The Bill sets up a media council; it promotes regulation; it guarantees editorial independence; and further protects the public by granting the Right of Reply.

21. I urge all stakeholders to adopt it in the spirit in which it is intended.

22. Honourable Speaker, I therefore beg to move that the Media Practitioners Bill, 2008 Bill (No. 15 of 2008) be read a second time. I thank you Mr Speaker.